Save You Now
by HedwigBlack
Summary: Charlie/Katie fluff ye be warned! Series of oneshots/drabbles for Gamma's OTP Boot Camp Challenge about the relationship between Katie Bell and our favorite dragon tamer. Because dragon taming is sexy and everyone knows it.
1. They Meet

**People keep asking me how they met. So here you go. :)**

* * *

i knew a girl in Meteor City

we used to drive down on Crater Road

and i would hold her hand and she would look pretty

didn't worry about the things we just didn't know

* * *

The girl walking down the aisle was probably the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. He would never admit that to anyone of course. Charlie Weasley drooling over a girl? Never. And yet, even when the girl had taken her place just feet away from him and, like everyone else, was watching Angelina walk down the aisle in a wedding dress, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

What was wrong with him?

Why did these dress robes have so many layers?

Why are weddings so long?

Finally, 'I do's" were said, George kissed Angelina, and the wedding party filed out of the stuffy tent and into the Weasley garden. Charlie immediately found an alcoholic beverage and took a seat where he could watch the goings on away from everyone else. He should come home more often, he thought. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so out of place at things like this. After a while Ginny sat down in the seat beside him.

"I saw you," she said smugly.

The maid of honor walked past just then and Charlie found himself too distracted to listen to his little sister. "Yeah," he said, fixating on the way her long black hair cascaded down her back.

"I still see you," Ginny said and punched him gently in the arm.

Charlie snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at her. "What?"

"You should go talk to her."

"Who?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you were not blatantly staring at her just now. You are so obvious!"

Charlie wanted to argue back but he couldn't lie to his sister and he couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in what she was saying. Subtlety had never been his strong suit. Or so everybody told him.

"All right," he conceded. "So, who is she?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why not?"

"Because you are going to go ask her yourself." Ginny crossed her arms and grinned evilly at him. When he didn't reply right away she leaned over and said the two words that would seal his fate forever. "You won't."

_You won't_. It was a dare; a challenge that must be accepted. It was the motivation behind many foolish childhood antics. Charlie fell for it every time. And Ginny knew it.

Charlie scowled at her and stood up. "Fine," he said coolly and stalked off in search of the beautiful girl with black hair though he wasn't sure what he was going to say when he found her.

When he did find the girl she was miraculously alone. She was sitting at a table off to the side and fumbling with her shoe. He approached her slowly and when he was within a few feet of her she looked up and met his eyes questioningly.

He motioned to the seat across from her. "Mind if I sit?"

She shook her head and took a sip of her drink.

_Don't just sit there, Weasley. Say something._

"You're pretty."

_Not that…_

She just laughed. "You're blunt." She looked him up and down. "And a Weasley…"

"Yes. And I meant that I had noticed before… that you were pretty…so I thought I'd come talk to you…and make a fool of myself," he finished lamely.

"…and you are flirting with me, very badly I might add, so you are not married and therefore not Bill so I guess that means you are Charlie?" she questioned.

"Very good deductive reasoning."

"It's how I passed Divination."

"I never took Divination so you'll have to tell me your name."

She paused to consider him and for a moment Charlie feared that she might walk away without telling him her name. Then she stuck out her hand. "Katie."

Charlie shook her hand and then looked behind him to see that Angelina and George were finishing up their first dance. "Well, since I am so terrible flirting why don't I spare you and just ask you to dance instead?"

"All right then."

Charlie made it a point to catch Ginny's eye as he led Katie to the area of the backyard where people were dancing. He was pleased to see that instead of looking too full of herself, she was rather shocked. Clearly, she had underestimated him. Or else, Katie was much nicer than they had both counted on.

"I can't dance. I'm more graceful on a broomstick than I am on the ground," Katie warned him, once again capturing his attention.

"No worries. I can't dance either. You like to fly, then," Charlie responded, putting a hand on her waist and pulling her a little bit closer.

"I'm Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies," Katie explained.

_Of course she is…_

"Impressive. I was a Seeker when I was at Hogwarts." They continued to talk about Quidditch and Romania and their shared dislike for social gatherings like weddings. They swayed a little to the music but neither of them paid much attention to it until it stopped and Charlie became conscious of the fact that he still had his arm around her and she didn't seem to have any intention of pulling away.

Just then a loud, high pitched voice rang out that made him cringe.

"Ginevra! Would you just look at yourself?" An older woman swooped down on Ginny and Harry who were standing just feet away. "Out of the way! I'm one hundred and thirteen!"

"Shit," Charlie muttered and instinctually gripped Katie's hand and quickly led her out of the way of Auntie Muriel. Once he had made it to where there were tables set up for wedding guests to sit down, he found that this was not somewhere that he could hide from his family. His mother had spotted him and he could tell that she was about to approach him to say something but thankfully was stopped by an older witch who wanted to congratulate her.

Charlie looked around and found a tree that stood apart from the crowd of people.

"Come on." He pulled her behind it and leaned against the trunk and covered his face with his hands. He shook his head apologetically at Katie who didn't appear to be too upset about being dragged behind a tree by a complete stranger. "Sorry, but trust me, I was doing you a favor. No one wants to be accosted by my Aunt Muriel."

"Well, I appreciate that," Katie said and took a step closer. "Thank you."

"If you want to go back to the party, I understand. I think I've had enough of my family for one night."

Katie shook her head and took another step toward him. "I'd rather stay here. Unless you don't think I'm pretty anymore and that was your way of saying I should go away." She stuck out her bottom lip. Merlin, she was adorable.

"No!" he said quickly. "I definitely didn't mean that."

"Good." She reached out for his hand but jumped back as a figure appeared from the other side of the tree.

"Well, well, well. You've made a friend have you, Charlie?" George crossed his arms and smirked at his brother and his old classmate.

"What do you want, George?" Katie asked.

"Angelina sent me to come find her maid of honor."

"I'll be there in a moment," she said, indicating that she wanted him to go away.

"Be careful with this one," George warned motioning to Charlie. "He's trouble."

"Yeah, well, maybe I like trouble."

"You always did," George agreed. Katie scowled at him and he raised his hands in a gesture of submission. "All right. I'm going." He walked back to his bride leaving Charlie and Katie alone.

"You like trouble, eh?" Charlie asked.

Katie nodded.

"Maybe I'll see you later then."

Katie leaned up to kiss him lightly on the cheek and then whispered in his ear. "Definitely."

He stared in awe as she walked away from him without looking back and made a mental note to thank Ginny later.

* * *

**prompt: enamoured**


	2. Scars

_well i got bruises on my feet, he says_

_and i got cuts on my hands_

_so who's gonna help me stand?_

_yeah, who's gonna help me stand?_

* * *

Late into the night the rain came down in sheets and the thunder rolled violently causing the ground to tremble. The trees swayed in the wind and waved their branches as though they were dancing. It was terrible and beautiful at the same time. Few were awake to pay mind to the weather but every once in a while, lightning would streak across the sky and illuminate the room where Charlie and Katie were watching the chaos from the comfort of his bed.

Katie turned in Charlie's arms to face him and propped herself up on one elbow. She studied him, looking his naked torso up and down, taking in all of the scars that adorned his body. She had never really noticed before just how many he had.

She looked back up at his face and he smiled smugly. "Like what you see?"

She rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a little shove away from her so he was lying on his back. Then she gently traced a long scar that started at his collarbone and worked its way across his chest with her index finger. "How did you get this one?"

Charlie put one arm around her, pulling her close to him and the other behind his head. "That was the first scar I ever got actually. A Hungarian Horntail caught me with her tail. Her name was Sadie. She was a bitch," he said fondly.

Katie grinned then moved her hand lower to a discolored patch of skin on his ribs. He squirmed at her touch. "Ticklish?"

Charlie tried to keep a straight face. "No…"

Katie continued to drag her fingers up and down his rib cage. "You sure?"

"Okay maybe a little…"

Katie stopped her movements and rested her hand on the burn mark again. "So how did you get this? Bet that didn't tickle."

"Ha! No it certainly did not. That was from a Chinese Fireball. You know the one we used for the Triwizard Tournament? She flamed while we were trying to transport her. The bloke next to me got the worst of it though."

Katie winced at the image his description created in her mind's eye. "Are you ever afraid?"

Charlie shook his head. "Pain is nothing to be afraid of. Besides, if it wasn't a little dangerous there would be no fun in it."

"That's my thrill seeker." Katie leaned up and placed a kiss on a scar that covered the side of his neck. "What about this one?"

"That was a stupid amateur mistake," Charlie said sounding quite disappointed with himself. "I was carrying a baby Welsh Green and it flamed for the first time. A baby's flame isn't very hot but it does enough damage when it's inches from your face."

Katie burst into a fit of laughter and buried her face into his chest.

"It's not funny," Charlie said pretending to be offended, but grinning all the same.

"Yes it is!"

"Okay. It's not _that_ funny."

"Yes it is!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, two can play this game." Charlie leaned into her so she was lying on her back and he was looking down at her. "I've shown you mine, now you show me yours."

"I don't have any," she said defiantly.

Charlie held up her right hand and ran his thumb along the line of bumpy skin that streaked across her palm. "Liar."

"How did you know about that?" she asked.

"You hide it well but I can still feel it," he said, pressing warm kisses to the thin scar. "Spill."

Katie sighed in resignation. "In my seventh year, I was Imperiused. I was supposed to take this cursed necklace to…someone." She didn't think she could say Dumbledore's name out loud, even after all this time. She had a feeling Charlie knew this story already though. The truth was he knew a lot more about what happened that year than most people would be led to believe. She continued. "The package ripped and I ended up touching the necklace and it left that mark on my hand. It did some other damage too but that's all right now."

"So why did you cover it up?" Charlie asked.

Katie shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't like looking at it, I guess. That part of my life is over now."

"That's the cool thing about scars. They tell a story. Some are happier than others. But they still happened and you shouldn't be ashamed of it." Charlie continued to rub his thumb along her palm. "I like yours."

"I like yours too." She reached out and touched the one on the side of his neck again and started to giggle. "Especially this one."

"Shut up," he said in exasperation and collapsed onto his side next to her. "Come here, you." He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. "We should go to sleep. I have work in the morning."

"Yeah," she said contentedly, already drifting off.

"Be here when I wake up?"

"Mhmm."

"I love you."

"Mhmm."

Charlie closed his eyes and let sleep take over too. Some day he'd say it while she was actually listening.

Maybe.

* * *

**prompt: thunder**

**All lyrics at the beginning of each chapter belong to Joe Purdy. These may end up being totally unrelated fics. I haven't decided yet. **

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	3. A first

_i have dreams of you, she said_

_i see you hiding your face_

_so i'm going to make you brave_

_yes, i'm going to make you brave_

* * *

Charlie grabbed Katie's hand and led the way through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley. He should have known that today was going to be a busy day here. The summer holiday was almost over and the street was filled with Hogwarts students doing their last minute shopping before heading back to school.

"Anywhere else you need to go, sweetheart?"

He was anxious to get out of there but the next words out of his girlfriend's mouth made him completely forget where he was. He stopped in the middle of the busy street and turned to face her. Maybe he hadn't heard her right. Maybe he was imagining things.

"What did you say?"

"I said I love you," she replied without batting an eyelash. As if this was something they said all the time. As if this wasn't something he'd been trying to tell her for weeks now. He opened his mouth to say something but the words seemed to be caught in his throat. After a few moments she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows in a way that clearly said she expected more of a response than Charlie staring at her like an idiot. "Now say it back," she said incredulously.

By now any other girl would cry or be embarrassed and change the subject. But Katie was actually demanding that he love her back. _Crazy bitch_.

Charlie grinned. "How do you know I want to say it back?"

Katie rolled her eyes. "Please. You say it all the time when you think I can't hear you. Yes. I heard you say it last night. And the night before." His heart pounded as he realized he'd been caught. He wanted this didn't he? He loved her after all. He had just hoped it wouldn't come to her losing her head and demanding a confession in the middle of Diagon Alley. He snapped to his senses as he realized that Katie was still talking. "I've been waiting for an eternity for you to say it to my face but I can't wait forever, Charlie! Now say it back, damn it."

He could imagine her as a child, stomping her feet and making demands. It was highly amusing and made him want to see how long they could go on like this. He considered delaying her gratification a little more but then realized it would be best to avoid an argument as well as screwing up their first 'I love you.'

"Fine!" He closed the distance between them in two steps and kissed her fiercely not caring anymore that they were in public. "I love you," he said when they finally broke apart. He was pleased to see that he'd managed to shut Katie up for the present, so he kissed her some more because if there was one thing he'd learned, it was to take advantage of the moments when Katie was speechless. When they came up for air, Charlie smiled down at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I made you wait for an eternity."

"I'm sorry I made you say it in the middle of the street," Katie said.

"I'm sorry I was such a coward that I couldn't say it before."

"I'm sorry I said it first. You don't feel emasculated or something do you?" She bit her lip nervously.

Charlie pretended to think about it. "Nah." He leaned down once more but was interrupted by a familiar voice calling from across the street.

"Hey, lovebirds! Quit snogging and get in here!" George waved to them from the joke shop and then pointed a scolding finger at them before disappearing inside.

"We'll never live this down," Charlie muttered and led the way.

* * *

**prompt: Eternity**


	4. Too Late

_it's not that i'm not sorry, lord_

_it's just that i'm not strong_

_'cause when that woman looks at me_

_i can't remember right from wrong_

* * *

This isn't practical but you've been told that love doesn't know the meaning of that word.

This isn't expected but you've been told that the best things in life never are.

This isn't logical but you don't need to be told because you learned a long time ago that your heart and your mind will never agree.

So where does that leave you, Charlie Weasley?

You lean against the kitchen counter and shove your hands in your pockets. You can't believe you are in so deep. You can't believe you are here in your brother's kitchen surrounded by all things domestic that you had decided long ago you didn't want anything to do with. You can't believe you are here with _her_.

You watch her talk animatedly with Angelina about things that won't matter in the grand scheme of things but girls will be girls. She knows you are staring but she pretends not to notice.

Whatever lobe of your brain that secretes self sabotaging ideas begins to go into overdrive as you think of all the reasons why you shouldn't be here. You live in Romania for Merlin's sake. You have a job and friends and a life. You have it made.

But in Romania you don't have her; all black hair and green eyes and hidden scars to go with yours. She's everything you didn't know you wanted.

"You going to tell mum?" George asks, interrupting your musing. He hands you a butterbeer and comes to stand beside you.

You take the drink but you don't tear your eyes away from your girl, admiring the way she talks with her hands.

"I'm going to have to aren't I?" you say and you can hear the panic in your voice.

George just laughs and claps you on the shoulder because he knows exactly what you mean.

It's too late to dodge the bullet.

You're a goner.

* * *

**Prompt: practical**


	5. What does a dragon tamer do?

Well give me something to look for

Give me a reason and I'll sing some more

I don't need no lies

Just look me in the eyes and tell me that you feel it too

* * *

"So, you're telling me that you could have played Quidditch for England and you passed?"

Katie put her hands on her hips and looked at Charlie in disbelief. They'd decided to go to dinner at the Three Broomsticks and Katie was starting to think this first date was going to end very awkwardly. It seemed that Charlie didn't like to talk about himself _at all_. She felt as though she was interrogating the poor boy and she was wondering if perhaps she was asking the wrong questions. But as they walked down to the Shrieking Shack after dinner, she managed to get him to admit that he'd chosen Romania over playing Quidditch professionally. At this point, she thought she may well be on a date with a lunatic. Who in their right mind would pass up a chance to play Quidditch and get paid for it?

Charlie shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "I loved Quidditch and all and maybe I was good at it but dragons are what I live for."

Now she was getting somewhere.

"Why?" she asked. "What is it about dragons that you love so much? I mean, what does a dragon tamer actually do?"

"Dragons…" he paused, trying to find the appropriate words and Katie was quite amused at how speechless he was. She'd thought it was a simple question but apparently not. He considered a moment and then began to instruct her. "The first thing you need to know about dragons is when you approach one you have to look it straight in the eye."

"Like you would with a hippogriff?" Katie asked. She'd remembered that much from Care of Magical Creatures, but she'd never paid much attention in that class.

"Right, but unlike hippogriffs, dragons don't mind if you blink. In fact, it's encouraged. You don't want to have a staring contest with a dragon. First of all, they will win and second of all, they think it's rude. You might think eye contact is easy but it's not. A dragon will look into your soul. It's unnerving."

Katie was beginning to know what he meant because he was doing it to her right now. His blue eyes were piercing and she actually wished she could look away. He walked forward closing the gap between them until she was forced to look up at him. She felt her knees quiver in spite of herself.

"A person's eyes give everything away if you know what to look for. Your pupils will dilate when you find something interesting or attractive." This statement caused Katie to feel extremely self conscious. Were her eyes dilated now? Probably. She willed herself to keep a straight face which was becoming increasingly difficult to do.

"They look up and to the left when you lie," he went on. "I can always tell when someone is lying."

_Play it cool, Katie._

"And a dragon doesn't need to wait for you to show a sign of weakness; they know everything they need to just by looking at you."

Katie cleared her throat nervously. "And then what?"

"And then nothing. The dragon will either respect you and cooperate or you'll have to use force, but that's not often. A tamer has to be willing to be completely vulnerable to earn their trust. Dragons will give you the benefit of the doubt. Deep down they are forgiving creatures and they won't take advantage of your weaknesses unless you try and man-handle them."

"How would you man-handle a dragon?" she asked in what she hoped was a calm and collected voice.

"Preferably with Stunning spells. One wizard can't do it alone. And dragons are quick and not easily penetrated by spells which is why it's a last resort. Dragon taming is all about maintaining the illusion of control."

He had moved even closer now, blue eyes still boring into hers and she felt herself growing red in the face. She was practically a puddle on the ground and he wasn't even touching her. He knew exactly what he was doing, which she found annoyingly attractive but she didn't want to give in. She wasn't going to.

She was determined not to.

She refused to.

She did.

She broke eye contact only to focus her attention on his lips that were smirking at her now, because not only had he broken her, she was giving away with her eyes what she was thinking, just like he said she would.

"Damn it," she whispered.

He threw his head back and laughed and Katie put her hands on her hips.

"All right! All right! I get it." Katie composed herself and looked back up at him.

"Good." He reached out and dragged his fingers through her hair and she shivered slightly. She rested her gaze on his mouth once more before meeting his eyes again, not attempting to hide what she wanted now. "You're getting better at this," he observed before finally leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. He continued to run his hand through her hair and put his other arm around her waist to pull her closer which was fortunate for her as her knees had given way.

They broke apart and he rested his forehead against hers. "But I'd stick to playing Quidditch if I were you."

* * *

**prompt: quiver**


	6. Pointless

i got troubles, oh, but not today

'cause they gonna wash away

they gonna wash away

* * *

Katie opened the door that led into the kitchen and was welcomed by the acrid and all too familiar scent of burnt flesh mixed with something sickly sweet.

"Charlie!" She threw her bag on the kitchen counter and marched into the living room where she found her husband asleep on the couch, his legs propped up on the arm rest, one of which was covered in a yellow paste that gave off the sweet aroma. She wanted to wake him up and give him hell for getting injured again. He really ought to be more careful.

But as he shifted a little in his sleep she found that she couldn't bring herself to do it. He looked so peaceful. She went over to the couch and leaned down to place a light kiss on his forehead before returning to the kitchen.

It would have been pointless anyway.

* * *

**Prompt: acrid**


	7. Coward

_going away love, can't you see_

_i can't take you, and you can't change me_

_so i'm going to save you now_

_yes, i'm going to save you now_

* * *

Katie tried not to be tearful as she stood in the doorway to her bedroom and watched him pack his things. She never cried. At least, she never cried in front of anyone. It was a sign of weakness that she simply couldn't stand, especially when it was over a man.

_He's just a man for Merlin's sake. No man is worth crying over. _

Or at least she had thought so until she met Charlie Weasley.

"I hate you," she said quietly. It was a stupid thing to say and they both knew she really didn't mean it. It was all she could think at that moment though as she watched him shoving clothes and a few books into his bag. The sun was setting and the orange glow it cast was the only light illuminating the room. She hated the way it made his hair shine a deeper shade of red. She hated the confident way that he was packing his things as though he didn't care at all. She hated him because she loved him. It was a strange paradox that few ever come to understand. That didn't make it sting any less.

Charlie straightened up and she could see anger flash across his face, but when he spoke he was gentle.

"I'm doing you a favor. Believe me."

It was Katie's turn to be angry. He could be so infuriating and she could hint the subtle condescending tone in his voice. It sent her over the edge. She tried to keep her voice as calm as his but failed spectacularly.

"How is leaving me doing me a favor? What about all of those things you said before? You said you would try to make us work. You're not trying! You're running away!"

Charlie crossed his arms in impatience. "I'm not running away. I'm going back to Romania because _that's where I live_. It's my home. It's not fair to either of us to keep doing this if I'm going to constantly be torn between two places."

"That's the most absurd excuse I've ever heard, Charlie Weasley! I hate excuses and you know it and I won't accept them from you! Unpack your things right now, damn it!"

She could feel bitter tears begin to flow down her cheeks in spite of herself but she refused to break eye contact with him. He looked so guilty and she felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps she'd convinced him to stay. She wouldn't resort to begging but perhaps a sharp reprimand would be good enough.

She was wrong.

He came forward and cupped her face in his hands, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. However, his expression was still decidedly sad. His mind was made up. "I have to go, Katie. It's the only reasonable thing to do, don't you see?"

He leaned down to kiss her, probably for the last time, but she held up a finger to his lips. She felt the word leave her mouth before she'd even realized it had crossed her mind. "Coward."

One thing a witch (or wizard) should never do is call a Gryffindor a coward. For some, it could be the last thing they might ever do. For Charlie, it was the last straw. He let his hands fall to his sides and backed away. He shoved a few more items into his bag and threw it over his shoulder.

Katie turned on her heel and strode into the living room and snatched the tin of Floo powder from the mantel piece. Charlie followed her and stood before the fireplace while she tossed a handful of powder into the flames.

He met her eyes once more, still wearing that pitifully sad expression. "I still love you," he said.

Katie threw the metal tin of Floo powder on the mantel piece with a bang. "No, you don't."

She went back to her bedroom without a second glance and slammed the door behind her, which she thought wasn't as satisfying as slamming the door behind him would have been but she would take what she could get. She waited until she heard him say, "The Burrow," and knew that he had disappeared into the flames, and then she sat on her bed and she did the unthinkable.

She cried.

And as much as she hated the fact that he left her, noble reasons or not, she hated herself more for crying over it.

* * *

**Prompt: hatred**

**The title as well as the lyrics at the top of this chapter come from a song called He Said, She Said by Joe Purdy**


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